Red Sox, Giants send openers to mound with series on the line

The Boston Red Sox and host San Francisco Giants will send openers to the mound in the rubber match of a three-game interleague series on Sunday afternoon.

Red Sox left-hander Brennan Bernardino (1-0, 2.31 ERA) and Giants lefty Scott Alexander (6-1, 3.41) are scheduled to start the finale of a series in which both teams have claimed a 3-2 win.

J.D. Davis drew San Francisco even in the series on Saturday with a walk-off home run after the Red Sox, who had survived a late Giants rally the night before, were denied a second straight win despite tying the game with a two-run top of the ninth.

Bernardino recorded his third hold of the season when he retired the only man he faced in the sixth inning of Friday's win. His past two outings have been in a traditional reliever role.

Sunday's start as an opener will be his fifth this month. The 31-year-old seems to have grown into the role, having thrown a total of 5 2/3 shutout innings in his last three starts, allowing just three hits and one walk. Eight of the 17 outs he recorded were strikeouts.

Bernardino's appearance in the finale will come about 48 hours before the trade deadline, with Red Sox manager Alex Cora having declared this weekend that his people don't necessarily have to be busy in order for his club to improve on its fourth-place standing in the American League East.

"Some people might not agree with the way we're gonna get better, but we will," said Cora, noting that two of the team's big-name players -- Chris Sale and Trevor Story -- are close to returning from injuries. "We have a good baseball team. We get one of our best players in the coming weeks. And also three pitchers."

Coincidentally, the Red Sox and Giants already made a move this week, with Boston picking up reliever Mauricio Llovera from San Francisco for minor-leaguer Marques Johnson, a right-handed pitcher.

Llovera allowed a hit and two walks in the eighth inning Saturday in his Red Sox debut but held his old mates scoreless thanks to three strikeouts.

The 34-year-old Alexander will make his third start of the season, with mixed results in the first two.

On May 25 in Milwaukee, he retired the Brewers in order in his only inning pitched with one strikeout.

On July 23 against the Washington Nationals, he left the game in the opening inning with two outs and runners on first and third, and the bullpen allowed both runs to score. Alexander took the loss in the 6-1 game.

As the Giants seek their fourth win in their past five games, while the Red Sox go for a sixth win in seven games, it's possible Alexander and his successors could find themselves backed by the club's new double-play combination with the activation of shortstop Brandon Crawford from the injured list Saturday.

The veteran saw no action in the Giants' 3-2 win, instead watching shortstop Marco Luciano enjoy the first two-hit outing of his three-game career before what is expected to be at least a part-time move to second base.

The Giants opened the door for such a move when they demoted Brett Wisely on Saturday. Giants manager Gabe Kapler shared his thoughts on the young second baseman's walk out the door.

"I explained the situation to Wise," Kapler said, "and talked to him a little bit about, collectively, what we think he needs to work on to get back to the major leagues and help us win baseball games."

Wisely, 24, hit .175 with two homers and eight RBIs in 51 games for the Giants. He was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.